Phegley 'slams' door on Tigers

Catcher's 4-run blast helps Sox and Sale to hard-fought 6-3 victory

DETROIT — Manager Robin Ventura quipped that Josh Phegley got the keys to the car when he was allowed to catch All-Star Chris Sale in his fifth major league start.

But Phegley might have sped away with the White Sox's starting catching job after his grand slam off Anibal Sanchez in the sixth inning Thursday that produced a tension-filled 6-3 victory against the American League Central-leading Tigers at Comerica Park.

Phegley landed the biggest punch — smacking his third homer in five games two batters before reliever Luke Putkonen threw a pitch behind Alexei Ramirez, who pointed his finger at Putkonen and walk toward the mound.

Putkonen and animated Tigers manager Jim Leyland were ejected after the benches emptied.

Leyland already was angry in the fifth when Sale sailed a pitch high and tight to Prince Fielder after Miguel Cabrera hit his 30th home run.

Leyland didn't address reporters afterward, but Sale — who won for the first time since May 17 — and Ramirez stated their cases.

"There's a time and place for that, and this wasn't the time or the place," said Sale, who plans to talk with AL manager Leyland during All-Star festivities next week in New York. "I'm not even trying to send a message. I'm not trying to back him off the plate, honestly.

"I have a lot of respect for Prince, the Tigers and the game of baseball. Doing something childish like that, that's not who I am. That's not what I do. It kind of got away (from me) and unfortunately turned into something.''

Said Ramirez of Putkonen's pitch: "That pitch wasn't intended to go in the zone. (It) was intended to hurt me. If you are hurting me, you are hurting my family. You are hurting my kids. That's something I have to react to."

Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild told a pool reporter that Sale wasn't warned about his errant pitch because "there was no reaction from Fielder. He said nothing. There was no reaction from anyone else. The only reaction I saw was from Sale, who made a motion like, 'Damn, it got away.'"

Meanwhile, Phegley worked well behind the plate with Sale (6-8) who snapped a six-game losing streak and got plenty of protection during the bench-clearing incident from manager Robin Ventura and his coaches who blocked any path from Leyland to Sale.

Phegley is batting only .200 but has three homers and eight RBIs.

"My only hit of the series." Phegley joked.

Sale and Ventura were expansive in their praise of Phegley.

"He has hit three home runs against three very, very noticeable pitchers," said Sale, referring to David Price, Matt Garza and Sanchez. "He brings energy every day."

Said Ventura: "We know he can play. That's why he was called up. It's not like he didn't earn his way. … And he'll keep getting his shots."